Machine collection a stroke of historical luck

SteamFest's collection of machines on display this weekend is the result of historical luck and a close-knit community of steam engine enthusiasts.

Redwater Creek Society president Chris Martin said the odds were against the survival of steam- powered machines featuring at the festival after their use was phased out after World War II.

"It is quite amazing so many have survived," he said.

Lower scrap metal prices in Tasmania compared to the mainland saved many machines from the heap during the 1950s and 1960s, Mr Martin said.

Enthusiasts have preserved them since.

"We all tend to know what everyone's got and most of us have been working together for a long period of time."

The festival will include displays of expertly restored machines, such as the Hornsby Ackroyd oil-engined tractor.

It marked the transition from the steam engine to diesel engines.

Only three oil-engined tractors were constructed to this design and all were sold to Australia in the early 1900s.

The Ransome, Sims & Jeffries steam compound traction engine, which operated on farms and roads around Devonport and Latrobe, will also appear at SteamFest.

The engine, although it was protected from corrosion and preserved by the previous owner, was restored by Tarleton's Eric Howe.

SteamFest opens at 9.30am on Saturday, Sunday and Monday and features a grand parade, one of Australia's largest exhibitions of working steam machinery, at 3pm each day. It will be held at the Redwater Creek Railway on the corner of Main Street and Spring Street, Sheffield.